


The Skant Wars

by Aidaran, StarTravel



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Fun, Garak being happy, M/M, Uniforms, mindless fun, skants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 11:40:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17866577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aidaran/pseuds/Aidaran, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarTravel/pseuds/StarTravel
Summary: Garak discovers Julian's secret: there's a variation to the standard uniform that is so more pleasing to a tailor's eyes. Will he manage to have the whole station wearing skants?





	The Skant Wars

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic that spawned from our chats! you can't convince us that kind of things didn't happen in the station.

**Day 1**

 

The first time Julian wears a skant after an away mission, Garak is shocked. Julian just walks into their quarters to see if he wants to grab lunch, as though nothing is out of the ordinary. He bites an apple distractedly and notices the Cardassian is still looking at him.

Garak never imagined federation had an outfit like that.

No long black straight pants.

A stripe in the middle.

Short sleeved and form fitting.

In a blue that is much better for the doctor’s complexion than the medical uniforms.

And the legs.

He keeps staring at the legs.

Those legs.

He just can't understand why this is not regulation uniform but simply a variation. His mouth is still hanging open and Julian is not sure if he should laugh or grab his medical tricorder to see if he just had a stroke. No, his eyes are following him, so, probably, not a stroke.

“You never told me Federation had something like that, dear Doctor. I feel cheated.”

“Well, I prefer it as well for certain occasions, but I’m not sure if I can wear it full time here, you know. We have to abide by Bajoran dress codes as well. And sometimes it might be a problem, if you needed to crouch or something.”

Garak raises his eye ridges at the mental image, and Julian gulps.

“I think it is more out of habit than anything, dear. You could get used to it very fast, I am sure.” Garak looks like a cat about to jump a mouse, and Julian suddenly wonders if he made a mistake entering their quarters with such an outfit.

“It’s easier to have a jumpsuit for field work.”

“Are you so sure about that, dear? Have you tried wearing this... _skant_ long enough to build a habit?” Garak’s voice starts to sound a little sibilant, something the human has learned to associate with trouble... or new, interesting experiences.

And Julian knows he should argue, but Garak is already running his hands over his back, and he can’t quite remember his own arguments against the piece of garment.

“We could try a few experiments of our own... to see if you can get used to it.”

And thus, that was the week Julian only wore skants.

That week, all of Garak's customers wondered why he looked so happy. Some also wondered what were those new, beautiful pieces he had in his work table, that he insisted were not on sale.

Doctor Bashir's patients wondered if he looked... tired that week. With his hair always rumpled.

Neither patients nor customers dared dwell too much on what was causing either mood. Everybody in DS9 knew the best was not to ask at that point.

 

* * *

 

**Day 2**

 

Miles is quite shocked when Julian walks into their senior officer meeting the next morning, wearing a very short piece of clothing.

“Well, this is an official style of uniform, Miles.”

Jadzia gives him a small admiration whistle, but Kira looks totally shocked. She looks at Odo with horror, who is now looking at anywhere but the Medical Officer.

“Does Federation let you run with that sort of thing? That is awful, I can’t imagine myself fighting with the Bajoran Militia wearing that.” Odo harrumps and nods his approval at her words.

Sisko had forgotten all about the regulation skants, but he’s not surprised; if somebody on that damn station is going to decide to just walk around in a miniskirt, it would be the doctor, alright.

Miles keep looking at him, his jaw hanging open in horror.

“The skant has better ventilation, Miles. You should try it.”

“Oh, no, I will not. I have self-respect, Julian.”

Julian turns to Jadzia. He knows she will approve. She smiles brightly. Good. One ally in the room.

“That looks so nice on you, Julian. I had forgotten all about the skants! Guess Curzon was not really into them... unless they were on someone else.”

“And they are really comfortable, Jadzia. I’m sure you’d get used to them too.”

“I think I’ll replicate some when I get back to my quarters. Surely Worf will like them!”

“Do you think we could convince him to try one?”

“Oooooooh, I’ll send you holopictures if I manage to!”

Sisko clears his throat and they all remember this is an official meeting, but when it finishes, Julian makes sure to give Jadzia the instructions for the replicator.

 

* * *

 

**Day 3.**

 

Julian keeps using the skant, and some other Starfleet officers follow example. Little by little, the promenade starts to fill with exposed legs and arms.

This is Garak's best week ever since the station went into Federation control. Also, his sales skyrocket when people notice the little variations of the skant he was designing for Julian. Soon, he has more commissions he can manage, all from people a lot less dressed than what is normal in a Starfleet-run station. He feels he won something. Now, he hopes they’ll raise temperature to accommodate the new dressing situation. Maybe he’ll even be able to get out of his room with one less layer of clothing.

Factions break up. Some think the jumpsuit is uncomfortable and agree with Julian that the ventilation is better. Others argue than skants are immoral and can lead to exposed bits that used to not be exposed.

Some families are torn by the discussion.

“Ben! Come on! Everybody is using one. At least try it before saying no.”

“Kassidy, I love you, but trust me, this is one thing I won’t do for you, no matter how much you ask me.”

Jake laughs at the situation.

“Come on, dad, even Nog tried one. I just saw him in our quarters.” Sisko raises his brow. “It was... interesting. Not sure what I feel about it but... I think Nog has better legs than I do.”

And Sisko really, really doesn’t want to hear more about it.

 

* * *

 

**Day 4.**

 

Day 4 is the day the skants are banned from engineering. Some consider that a sad day, others, a blessed one.

A coolant gas leak forces half of O’brien’s team to crawl through Jeffrey’s tubes on the Defiant. There, walking on the rearguard, Miles discovers not all of his team uses underwear. When confronted, some of those engineers claim they have Scottish blood, and everybody knows they were a proud people that used nothing under the kilts, of course.

“What, all six of you are Scottish?”

They all nod.

“Braxan, you are _blue_. You are a bloody Bolian, for god's sake!”

“I am Scottish by choice, chief.”

And so, no more skants for his team. Also, underwear is not optional anymore either, although the methods of enforcement for that particular rule are not too clear.

“This is all your bloody fault, Julian.” He drinks his ale, and Quark gives him a refill without asking. At this point, he wonders if the only ones who’ll be able to resist will be him and the Ferengi. “You and your bloody boyfriend.”

“Hey, don’t accuse me! I only wore it in the first place because it was comfortable, it is not my fault if I am a fashion symbol now!”

“You are not a fashion symbol, Julian! You are a public menace!”

“Well, my team, and Jadzia’s, think we are setting a trend here. We are _popular_ , Miles. I think you are just jealous because you can’t pull off the miniskirt look as well as I do”.

Quark just looks at him and smile. The skant fad is attracting people to DS9, and that always means more latinum. So he will do everything he can to keep the trend going, even if that means sending holopictures of the station via subspace to all the corners of the galaxy. Which he will deny being responsible of if Odo comes asking, of course. He idly wonders if the Constable will fall for that fad too. It would really be nice to see _him_ in a custom made skant, after all.

 

* * *

 

**Day 5.**

 

“Look what you did, you little pest.” Miles is glaring at Julian. Except for Sisko, Worf, and Miles (and the poor engineering staff, even the Scottish ones), now all the Defiant crew is wearing skants.

Oh, Julian is so proud of what he's done. He finally is fashionable.

“Well, I must admit, with the Doctor’s record, this actually counts as being dressed nicely.”

“So, will you get to the trend too, Captain?” Julian sounds happy, and Garak turns his head. While clearly he is not as eager to see the captain in a miniskirt as he was with Julian, he won’t look at a gifted horse’s teeth. Anything is better than the normal uniform.

“Doctor, I’d rather fight barehanded a Jem'hadar squad.”

Julian sees Garak so happy that whole week that he feels compelled to increase his delight, even if he is sure that will make his commanding Officer unhappy. So, when they are in their quarters alone, he decides to give Gaark a bit of new information about the uniforms.

“You know Garak, there’s a long-sleeved version as well. For winter.”

“Do you have one, my dear?

“No, I’ve been thinking about ordering one. It can get chilly in the infirmary sometimes.”

“I’ll make one for you, my dear.”

“They’re usually worn with leggings or tights as well.”

And the look Garak gives him is _dirty_. Julian idly wonders if he unleashed something on the station without realizing it.

“Are they, dear?”

“Just thinking ahead, in case the concern from engineering starts to spread.”

“How practical.”

“And then you have something to unwrap.”

 _And either I’ll become a fashion icon, or will face court martial after revealing this_ , Julian thinks for some moments, before Garak makes him forget what was he talking about in the first place.

 

* * *

 

**Day 6.**

 

“Captain! Is the bloody skantapocalipse!” At this point, the only crew with a good-for-running garment is the engineering one. The rest are having trouble while fighting the invading Jem’hadar.

“I know, chief, believe me! I don’t like this situation any more than you do. Doctor, this is all your fault! You and your boyfriend!”

“Don’t look at me, you were the one who were saying yesterday he’d rather fight a Jem'hadar squad!” the doctor hits a soldier with Kukalaka, and he drops unconscious. Nobody asks what is inside the bear. They don’t want to know at this point.

“Clearly, his wish was granted”, Garak says with calm while he stabs a soldier trying to break into his shop.

“Garak, you are not helping. This is your bloody fault and you know it!” The chief will have none of their sass, that much is clear.

“It is not, I feel offended by your accusations! Starfleet designed them in the first place, I merely suggested they looked better than the normal uniform.”

“And now we have a bunch of soldiers in short skirts fighting an invasion, Garak!”

“A very, very exciting situation, if I may say so”. Garak gives the chief a dirty smile.

“No, please, don’t say it, Garak. I have enough with Julian.”

“I was just stating the obvious, chief. You can’t blame a simple tailor for enjoying whatever things life throws in his way.”

And so, that battle enters historical records as one as shameful as the emu war, with less feathers and more exposed skin.

Damar and Weyoun call Sisko to mock the Federation after the battle. Then, an admiral calls. And another. And another. Then Dukat. Finally, the department in charge of uniforms. They’ve received complains and want to know what happened.

By the end of the day, Sisko sends a communication ordering staff to use only the official jumpsuit, with no deviations of the most basic design.

 

* * *

 

**Day 7.**

 

“I can’t believe it, Garak. The captain actually forbid all of us from wearing skants!”

Garak mood gets a hard hit with that. He looks up from the suit he was sewing for Julian, while feeling his stomach sink. He knew it was too good to last.

“Even medical and science, dear?”

“ _Especially_ medical and science!”

Garak sighs. He was having such a nice week.

“That sounds so unfair of him. But you know you can wear that kind of clothing in our quarters whenever you want, dear.”

“You just want me to wear skimpy outfits.”

“Well, yes, but can you blame me?” He shows him the little piece he just has finished. “Look at this, dear, don’t you think we should find a nice holoprogram for you to wear it?”

Julian gulps. It really is small. He is not sure how Quark’s clients will feel if he parades with it on his way to the holosuite.

“Garak, the issue is not about where I can wear it. It is about a perfectly acceptable clothing forbidden in a petty move.”

“You could wear leggings to protest.”

“Leggings?”

“Yes, instead of those baggy trousers. I already got you some, after our earlier conversation. I like to think ahead.”

“Garak, have you rearranged all my closet again?”

“My, what makes you think so, love?”

So, Julian gets to the next senior staff meeting with extremely tight pants. Sisko looks at him, sends him to his quarters, and sends a new note, forbidding leggings too. When he tries to protest, the captain makes him choose between leggings and holosuite privileges.

Garak finally convinces him that at least they can still wear whatever they want (“whatever _you want me to._ ” “isn’t that the same?” “no, it is _not_ , Garak”) on the holosuites, so it is settled. He replicates a new pair of pants. He lost the battle.

 

* * *

 

**The aftermath.**

 

Garak keeps making suits, and soon enough, he realizes that his customers really like them, so he sends his own designs to Starfleet, and insists in making Julian model.

“This is embarrassing, Garak.”

“Shut up dear, and smile for the holocamera.”

Some weeks later Starfleet answers: the new skant model is approved, and Garak is appointed new official designer. Sisko doesn't even want to see the pictures, nor allow them to use them. Calls from admirals start to pile on. Apparently it is illegal to forbid the staff from wearing the new installments of the uniform.

Garak is happy, Sisko can't stop Julian from using skants now, and the new designs will begin to roll out next year.

Eventually the Captain lets people used skants. Except on engineering. They won't discuss with outsiders what happened that week.

Ezri is using her skant with tights. She’d always admired Troi’s closet, so now she feels she has something good for herself. Clearly, something as cute as this will make her look more approachable while counseling.

Miles looks at Julian, and he really wonders why the damn doctor can’t use some pants too, if even the counselor is doing that.

“That’s a bloody tunic, Julian. You should wear pants with it. Or at least leggings”. Miles throw a dart with a bit too much strength and has to remove it from a captain with a transparent skull that is talking animatedly with Jadzia.

"Well, Sisko forbid leggings, remember? And anyway Garak burned them."

“Go figure. Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with him. At least use a jumpsuit now and then, like the rest of us normal people.”

Julian smiles and throws his own dart, but then his expression change to a concerned one.

"He also burned all my jumpsuits, actually. I don't have any clothes left, Miles. Help me."

“At all? What about your civilian clothes?”

"Those were the first ones. He made me some new stuff, though."

“And they’re all skants too?”

"Well, not exactly..."

Miles doesn't like the sound of that and decides that he won't dare asking anymore. Ever.

“Is that why you’re not wearing anything but your uniform on the promenade?” Jadzia asks with a wide smile. She is wearing her skant too. Kira makes an annoyed noise and leaves the bar with Odo. Quark sighs and cleans a table, defeated. The constable did not fall for the skant fad. Julian smiles at the trill woman.

"Well, I won't wear the other things he's done in front of you."

“My, my. Tell him to make a few things that are suitable for the public. We do have a festival coming up.”

"Will do. But I'm not sure that's a good idea Jadzia, honestly."

Jadzia wants to see what Garak has been doing now. She has some pretty wild ideas. And she wants him to make some models for herself, too.

Eventually, she discovers the new project was a catsuit. She raises her eyebrows when she sees it. Julian crosses his arms.

"It's for the spies program, Jadzia. Obviously."

“Obviously.”

“You’re all jealous I’ve finally got nice clothes”

“Well, on that, you are right. I’d certainly buy some of his models.”

“But not the catsuit. That one is mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love! we really like to read what you think of these little pieces!


End file.
